The Paths We Take AKA Choices
by Eressa
Summary: Lily & James- how did they come to be? this story is actually two- love/hate AND friendship/love. Different paths, different circumstances, same love. For full summary see the story.
1. Prelude to the choice The Choice

A Story- By pherlaith

 Unimportant authors note- Right, peeps. As you might have gathered by now this is a Lily and James story. This little ramble is just to say how it came to be written. Basically, I was moaning on to one of my friends about studying, and how I'm running out of excuses (the exams start in less than a week) and she set me this challenge; _Write a half-decent, non-self-insertation fanfic about any character(s) from any source of your choice using a stimulus set by me [me being her]._ I took her up on this as I thought it could be interesting, give me an excuse to not study, and maybe help my writer's block for my other story. She gave me the stimulus of that old proverb, a stitch in time saves nine, and I developed that (ya see, it was DRAMA revision) and came up with this story! I'll shut up and get on with it now! *Important authors note and better summary*- Please read!- This story may seem a little confusing if you don't! have you ever seen the film _sliding doors_? This is a little like that. We all know what happens at the end of Lily and James' story, but what about the rest of it? There are two main genres of L/J romances around- love/hate and the classic love. They are both great, but I sat there wondering which really happened? What if one single, slight change in their lives sent them spiralling out in different directions? This story has two. On one side, the love/hate, on the other, the classic friendship/love. This starts with a prologue, which is really just a big extended-metaphorical way of saying what I've just said, then there's chapter 1. Chapter 1 is different to all the other chapters as it's in a single part.  At the end, comes the change that sends the story in two ways. The next chapters swap between what happens in each. At the end, they will merge. You all know how this ends though! You can tell when I'm switching when you see the beautiful little *~*~*~*'s, just so you don't get too confused! If you've read this far, I thank you for your patience; I prey to whatever deity it is you understand! Anyway, I'm finished! 

**Prologue- **_The web of time is intricate, delicate and fragile. Tiny pulses shoot over it, crossing and twisting, dividing and merging endlessly with each other's flaxen strands. The smallest of the transparent filaments that the great web holds could be one of the most important. Like the cobweb, time in itself Is breathtakingly beautiful.. yet that beauty is always bittersweet, as time, like the cobweb, inevitably leads to death._

_If a whisper of a breeze can distort and alter the shape of the cobweb, what could one decision in the life of one person do? Will the web's lethal paths guide everything different ways, but to it's rightful close? Or can one slight wind of decision change everything?_

The Beginning/ The choice-  

Lily Evans sighed happily as she packed her trunk to return to school. She had enjoyed the long, hazy summer, with its lazy, relaxed days, but she was looking forward to the next school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It would be her fifth, and she had just received notice that she was to be a prefect. Finishing her packing with a final smoothly folded robe, she closed the trunk with a flourish and collapsed on her bed, looking around her old bedroom she saw so little of.

It was large and square and painted blue and purple. The walls were decorated with muggle pictures and blank spaces, where, when she was home, she tacked up waving pictures of herself and her friends. They were neatly stored in her trunk between her clothes and books, awaiting her return to Hogwarts, the next day.

_Hogwarts! _She smiled in sweet anticipation, relishing the thought of seeing everyone again, Tessa, Cara, and Aylson. She had really missed them, though she met up with them the week before in Diagon Alley. They had been best friends since first year, when they were all sorted into Gryffindor. _Though,_ she mused, _it would be hard not to be so close to them after all the things we've shared. _ They had shared joy, laughter, tears, and pain. They had shared the blame, the praise, the good and the bad. They were as close as sisters-

"Lily!" A shrill voice cut through her thoughts "Lily! Get down for your tea right now!" 

Lily grimaced as her sister shrieked upstairs to her. Perhaps she and her friends being as close as sisters was a bad example. Lily and her sister, Petunia did not exactly get on, quite the opposite, in fact. They loathed each other.

Lily reluctantly got up from her comfortable bed and stretched, yawning widely. She walked over to her mirror and smoothed out her long, wavy red hair, and rubbed her emerald eyes while stifling another yawn before heading down the stairs of her large house, to the dining room, where the rest of her family were waiting for her to join them for their last dinner together before Lily returned to Hogwarts. Lily's mum and dad beamed up at their beautiful daughter, as she eased her tall, slender frame into her chair for the last time that summer, while Petunia looked on with distaste.

Many miles across the English countryside, James Potter was finishing dinner with his own parents. As he dashed up his own stairs to his room he heard his mother shout out to his retreating form "Pack your trunk, before it's too late _please_! You rem…" but he didn't hear any more of his fussing mothers words. Laughing he ran into his big, messy bedroom, and waded through the weird junk, dirty clothes and homework to his wardrobe, where he pulled out his school trunk, barely glancing at the mirror which called out " get back here and fix your hair!" He sighed, and strode back where he stood in front of it, and looked straight at it, he slowly and deliberately ran his fingers through his untidy, jet-black hair, making it even worse, and laughed. Before he walked away, he covered the mirror behind a large sheet, muffling its shrieks.

He hummed tunelessly to himself as he pulled crumpled clothes and a stack of neatly ironed robes (his mother had insisted) into the open mouth of the trunk. He grinned as his eyes drifted onto a shiny badge lying on his desk. _He, James Potter one of Hogwarts biggest troublemakers, had been made a prefect! _He laughed out loud as he imagined his friends faces when he told them! They would laugh. A lot. And then more at the though of one of the infamous Gryffindor boys being made a role-model for the younger students. At this thought, James sat down again and laughed at the thought. He wondered who else had been made prefects, but not for long, as the owl tapping at his window disturbed his train of thought. The tall fifteen year old raced over and threw the window open, allowing the large barn owl he recognised as his friend Sirius' to glide in. "Thanks, Roy" he murmured and stroked the bird as he unbound the parchment from it's leg. The owl, Roy (actually called Royal, as Sirius liked the idea of Royal Mail, from Muggle studies) hooted softly and flew out of the window, into the gathering dark. James smoothed out the parchment to read;

_           Hey there, Jamsey-boy!_

_                                                See you on the train for major prank planning!_

_                                                                                                                           -Sirius_

     James rolled his eyes, and didn't bother replying to Sirius' pointless note, and carried on packing his trunk.

The next morning Lily woke early, sunlight streaming through the gap in her blue curtains. She yawned and stretched deliciously. She had always been a morning person. Her friends saw it was curse, but she loved it. She jumped happily out of bed and showered, washing her long red hair carefully. She changed into a pair of reasonably new jeans and a half-decent top before sorting her hair. _I should try to make a reasonably good impression on my first day as prefect_ she thought to herself. She had gained a few curves and grown a few inches over the summer. With her bright eyes shining in anticipation and wavy hair loose down her back, she was very pretty. As she skipped down the stairs, she found herself laughing, and wondering what would happen that year at Hogwarts, where there was never just a normal school year. 

As she was eating a leisurely breakfast of buttered toast and orange juice, her horse-faced sister, Petunia came down, scowl firmly in place.

"So!" she spat "Your off again? Back to your little nest-of-the-freaks?" She surveyed Lily haughtily, but Lily just smiled sweetly up and said, 

"Do you like frogs dear sister?"

  "Freak"

"Loser"

"Retard"

"You've got a spot on your nose, did you know?"

"I do not!" Petunia spat, albeit slightly concernedly, her hand shooting up to her nose

"You do now!" Lily smirked, running up the stairs before Petunia could reply. She laughed out loud; _I don't have to see Petunia for months! Yes!_ And ran to wake her parents. She wanted to be early today.

James found himself being woken at an ungodly hour in the morning by his mother shaking him, cooing "James dear, wake up, you're going to Hogwarts today!" She looked down fondly at her semi-conscious son "My little prefect! It seems just yest-"

"I'm up! I'm up!" He cried groggily, trying to escape his mother's clutches as she planted a kiss on his forehead. _Ugh_. He thought, _mornings are not my time. _His mother bustled out, leaving him to burrow his head under the pillow to sleep for a little longer.

His mother, panicking and telling him to get up before he was late, woke him half an hour later. He groaned as he looked at his watch, and shot out of bed, not time for a shower. He hastily threw on some clothes and pulled the sheet off the huffy mirror ("For the love of Merlin, _brush your hair and tuck in your shirt!) _He ran a comb roughly through his locks, deciding he may as well do at least that for the stressed out piece of bedroom furniture, before dashing down for his rushed breakfast, while his father huffed and puffed, transferring his trunk to their car, and his mother worried he would left something important.

Lily smiled and hugged her mum and dad. "Bye dad, I'll miss you!" she said from her father's arms 

"You too, sweetie!" He replied, giving her a squeeze. Lily turned on her mum, who held her at arms length, eyes full of pride. "My my, Lily, you really are growing into a beautiful, successful young lady!" She exclaimed. 

"Mum!" Lily laughed and squirmed. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll miss you, you know!" She whispered, "Write to us lots!" 

"I will" Lily whispered back, disengaging herself from her mothers arms. "I have to go now. I love you guys! Bye!" She smiled and waved at her parents, who were now standing, hugging each other and waving as their youngest daughter, the only witch of the family vanished through the barrier, out of their sight, onto platform nine and three quarters, and away from them for another year.

Lily stood still facing the scarlet steam engine, and just smiled. Everything suddenly seemed so much brighter, more vibrant than all the muggles had in their world. The air was more wholesome and the atmosphere more welcoming. And of course, there was that certain feeling of _magic_ in the air…

"Lily! LILY!" A voice interrupted her thought and she turned to see her friends, Aylson and Cara bearing down on her. Aylson, a pretty, dark girl squealed when her liquid eyes came to rest on Lily's prefect badge "Congratulations, Lily! We're so proud of you!" Cara, her grey eyes alight with joy at being with everyone again hugged her. 

"We've been waiting _ages _for you! We thought you were going to miss the train! Wow I missed you!" She twittered in an excited rush, only pausing for breath, with Lily smiling bemusedly and breaking the hug, and Aylson laughing at her. 

"Shut up Cara, you hyper idiot! You've only been here ten minutes, Lily is early, so stands no chance of missing the train and we all met up last week in Diagon Alley, remember?! Now come on you two. We'll get your trunk into our compartment!" And with that the trio fought their way into a compartment in the middle of the scarlet steam engine, and were joined five minutes later by a petite blonde, Tessa. They sat there happily talking nineteen to the dozen about nothing in particular, waiting for the train to leave.

James arrived on platform nine and three quarters after a hurried goodbye to his mother (his dad was at work) with five minutes to spare before the train left. He looked around for his friends, Sirius, Remus and Peter, and saw them waving and laughing from inside a compartment. Remus rolled down the window and yelled "James! I'll be out in a sec to give you a hand as _someone_" He glanced at Sirius "is too lazy to help his _best friend_!" He said, giving Sirius a mock-evil glare, before running off to help James.

James was joined with tall, thin Remus, his light brown hair in his eyes, and soon, they had manoeuvred his trunk onboard, with no help from the short, chubby, blond figure of Peter, or the laughing, muscular Sirius. "Thanks" James panted sarcastically, wiping sweat from his eyes, and looking into Sirius' laughing eyes. He was almost always laughing. Sirius was saved from replying to his two tired friends by the whistle blowing shrilly. They all felt a rush of excitement as they settled down.

Sirius broke the contented silence by snorting loudly with laughter as he looked at James. "Potter!" he cried, in a mock-serious voice that did not reach his laughing eyes, "Is that a _prefects badge?_" James gasped theatrically and replied in a shocked tone,

"How did _that _get there! Oh my god!"

"What fool made you a prefect"

"It must be a mistake!"

"Yeah, and they'll start paying soon. Oh god, someone's given Potter power! Run while you still can!"

The group collapsed laughing. When the fits subsided, they looked up, and at James, and started again.

About three quarters of the way to Hogwarts, the boys were sitting happily planning pranks and eating the sweets from the witch with the trolley.

"Sirius, you are a genius!" Exclaimed James as Sirius showed them another prank he had formulated over the summer. 

"Who will we pull that one on?" Asked Remus, grey eyes sparkling

"Give us a chance! A prank like that deserves someone really worthy!" James got up and sighed, "As I'm now one of these great beings, a prefect, I'm going to the prefects compartment!" He laughed, pretending to look down his nose at them, before adding "May as well find out who else is, anyway." Sirius laughed and said "Any hot girls, sent them my way, I've always had a thing for the prefects…" James left, not wanting to hear any more. Sirius didn't just have a thing for Prefects, he had a thing for any girl. Period. Laughing at his friend as he went, he slid through the sliding door marked "_Prefects_" In fancy writing. He sat down next to a Ravenclaw he recognised, and they started talking.

Lily and her friends sat laughing as Cara finished telling a story about her brother and a girl he met on holiday in Greece. As the story drew to a close, Lily got up to leave. " I'm going to go to the Prefects compartment, see who I know" She said, still smiling

"Oh no Lily, stay and have a game of exploding snap with us, just one?" Tessa pleaded, with a puppy-dog begging expression

Lily laughed and sat back down "Alright, just one!" she said as Tessa produced the cards

"I'll shuffle!" cried two voices……

_The Web of Time shuddered in the breeze, dividing the moment. The twisting threads going their separate ways. One decision, small and trivial, though it seemed, went separately, both ways…. _

_On one of the threads, Cara grabbed the pack and shuffled, in the other, it was Aylson. The web shuddered as the tiny pulse divided and the two filaments went their own ways. Forever bonded, longing to join again. Each and every one of the smallest decisions of everyone involved pushed them together, or pulling them apart………_


	2. The Hogwarts Express Concequences

**Disclaimer which I forgot in chapter one:-** Oops! I own nothing. Literally. 

**Author's notes:** Lets keep this short and sweet, hey? This story is in two parts.   ***~*Love/hate*~***= love/hate. ***~*Classic*~***= Friendship/love. How simple is that?

***~*Love/hate*~***

"I'll shuffle!" cried Cara, reaching over to the proffered pack of cards in Tessa's hand. She roughly chopped them together and started dealing them out to the small knot of fifteen-year-old girls.

A long and exciting game ensued. From inside their compartment cries of "Snap!" and "Dammit! Not again!" rang clearly. 

"Ayls- How are you doing it? You're going to win again!" Aylson smirked.

 "I know, I know! I have talent… Skill… Beauty -" 

"Luck." Tessa butted in, laughing as she placed another card down "Pure luck!" as if to prove her wrong, the cards chose that moment to blow up in her face. A collective groan followed, quickly dissolving into loud laughter as the girls looked around at each other's various burns and singes.

They were all blackened with soot, hair singed and eyebrows non-existent. They made a very amusing sight. Every time they surfaced from the tide of giggles and looked around, they just started off again, or they were, until the compartment door slid open to reveal one Severus Snape: Slimeball extraordinaire.

"Well, well. If it isn't the Gryffindor Grime Girls!" he sneered. The girls abruptly stopped laughing and turned to him, eyes cold.

"Snape." Tessa acknowledged him briefly, before turning her back on him. He didn't take the hint though, and stepped through the open door.

"When you're leaving, Snape, please close the door. We don't want any _unwanted visitors._" Lily hissed, briefly forgetting about their singed hair and blackened faces. She hated Snape even more than the others did. He seemed to have something against red-heads, and had teased her mercilessly since they had met.

"Ah! If it isn't the weed!" Snape's cold eyes swept her over, eyes lingering on the prefect's badge. "Little miss perfect been made a prefect, eh? Why anyone would want a mudblood prefect, I don't know, but-"

"Snape-" Aylson cut in, looking murderous "Do us all a favour and _piss off!_"

"Sticking up for your mudblood friend? Ah, how sweet." Lily stood up to look him in the eye;

"Snape, if you don't get out of here right now and leave us alone, I'll show you on no uncertain terms that I don't need _anyone_ sticking up for me.. I can do it all myself." Her green eyes sparkled dangerously, and her hands balled into a fist at her side. He knew her temper well enough to back down, having been on the receiving end more than once, but he couldn't leave without a last demeaning remark;

"Oh, Evans? You might want to put your hair out, before the fire spreads. It's too late to save you; your face is burned to a pulp already but have some consideration of others, mudblood slime.." He smirked at her open mouthed rage, malicious eyes lingering on her blackened face from the game of snap, and left.

Lily was too busy staring in rage, doing a goldfish impression, to retaliate. 

"Oh, oh…" muttered Aylson "He broke cardinal law number one…_ Thou shalt not piss off the redhead_."   Tessa and Cara quickly stifled a giggle.

Lily turned around, her quick temper flared "I.. am… going.. to… kill… him…." She rummaged around in her trunk and found her wand. A quick flick, and the soot was removed from her face, and her hair was tidied. The other girls held the tactful silence as Lily stormed out toward the Prefects compartment. 

"I pity anyone who dared cross her today…" Tessa winced at the thought. Lily was a sweet girl most of the time, but when she was pissed off…

***~*Classic*~***

"I'll shuffle!" cried Aylson, snatching the pack from Cara's hands. She neatly sliced them together, before dealing them out to each of them.

For Lily, the game was short and sweet. She quickly took the lead, and beat them all hands down. "And with that, I'll leave you!" She got up, successful.

"Aw come on Lily! You have to play again! I need to beat you!" Lily laughed and said "I don't think so! I said I'd play one game. I played one game! I promised no more!"

"But they didn't even get a chance to explode!" Cara whined, sounding more like a first year than a fifth year.

"Ha ha! All the better for me! I escape with my eyebrows!" She laughed mockingly

"Bitch." 

"You're just angry 'cause I beat you!" 

"True."

"Well, _mi chicas_, I'm off. I want to see who else is prefect this year." Lily sidled off out of the door, waving goodbye to her friends as they dealt out the cards again. As she sidled along the passage, she saw Snape, the ultimate Greasy Slimeball swagger into the girls' compartment. _Got out just in time!_ She thought. Lily couldn't stand Snape. He had the uncanny ability to piss her off. She glanced at him again before continuing down the corridor. _Still hasn't discovered shampoo then._ She laughed to herself. _Some things will never change.._

At the end of the winding passage, with countless compartments full of students of all ages, from wide-eyed first years swapping roumers to laid-back seventh years comparing exam results, lay the prefects compartment, distinguishable by the neat, scripted plaque on the front of the wooden door. Lily lightly brushed the cold metal sign with her fingertips, before smoothing her silky hair and sliding the door open and entering.

She smiled at the inhabitants, happy to see she knew some. There was two Hufflepuffs she used to sit near in Arithmancy, a Ravenclaw that Cara was friendly with, two Gryffindor sixth years she knew and James Potter, who was another Gryffindor in her year. She smiled a greeting at all of them and slid into an empty seat next to James.

"Hey!" She greeted him. He looked up and smiled 

"Hey Lily! No surprises you got made a prefect! Miss perfect grades!" He teased her. She laughed 

"As I recall, you beat me in quite a few of the end of year exams, Mr Potter, so what does that make you?" He pretended to ponder this, before replying; 

"A genius." Lily snorted loudly at this, while James put on a hurt expression. She didn't really talk to him very much. He had his crowd, she had hers. In first and second year, she had thought he and his friends childish, but as she grew older, she realised some of their pranks were quite ingenious.

 She had always got on well with Remus, since they had been partners on a long forgotten DADA project. Sirius and James she had barely talked to, but found them easy-going, Peter she liked, even though he was quite shy. She looked James over. He had grown quite a lot over the summer. He had filled out a little and matured a lot, but still had the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle that had so many girls swooning. 

As Lily surreptitiously looked James over, he was doing the same to her. She had changed a lot over the summer. Her tall, willowy figure had gained some feminine curves, her red hair loose midway down her back. Her eyes shone brightly with hope and happiness. He liked talking with her, she was more down to earth than most of the girls at Hogwarts, well, the ones he attracted anyway. As a skilled quiddich player, he had a gaggle of groupies. He dated them quite often, but it never lasted long. He preferred girls with more depth, but he seemed to repel them!

"…James? James? You there? Hello?" He was brought back to the present moment by Lily's hand waving in front of his face

"Wha-?" Equolent as usual, he stumbled back into the conversation

"You were a little… Out of it!" She laughed.

"Yeah.. I was… thinking" He finished lamely 

He and Lily continued chatting  for the remainder of the journey. Lily was surprised by his whit and sharp comments. She had never thought of him as being quite such interesting conversation. They sat and laughed together over various pranks James and his friends had played on Snape and the other Slytherins. On his part, James was really starting to enjoy her company. She was quick and full of good comebacks, also a very appreciative audience, which was nice. As the train rolled in to the Hogsmede station, and they bid farewell to each other to find their retrospective friends, they both had the feeling it was going to be a very good year…

***~*Love/hate*~***

Temper still flared, Lily barged down the train's passageway towards the door marked "Prefects". She opened the door just as the train gave a jolt, and lost her balance. She flailed wildly for a moment, before crashing to the ground, taking the first thing she grabbed onto to keep her balance with her…

"Mpfhh!" Her muffled cry sounded from the floor, as something heavy fell on top of her. Through her tousled hair, she looked angrily up to see who had landed on her-

"Potter- Get off me!" James looked at her incredulously 

"Erm.. Sorry, but you're the one who pulled me down!" Green eyes locked with brown. Neither broke their gaze.

"Just move!" Lily spat

"Happy to oblige" James replied coldly, sitting back down. Normally, Lily would apologise, but she wasn't in the mood at that moment. She sat grumpily down too, legs crossed, arms folded, an aggressive line to her back.

"Sheesh, what's got into you?" James muttered under his breath

"Lily spun around in her seat and glared at him. 

"Potter, do me a favour and shut up?" How the hell did you get made prefect?" She sneered

" Better than you Mrs Bitch Queen of the universe!" he shot back "Maybe something to do with the fact I have a sense of humour? More than what we can say about you!" Lily shot him a look that could have shut down BT. She was _not_ in the mood to be pissed with. The rest of the train journey was passed in uneasy silence in the Prefect's compartment. The air between Lily and James was thick with tension, and it was disenhartening the others. As the train ground to a halt, Lily and James ran off to find their friends, both fuming about the other.

*~*~* 

Next: stuff!

Sorry that was so short. I'm doing my exams right now and I'm kinda busy! I had the worst maths exam ever today! **Shoutout to any other people in Scotland doing their Standard Grades!** We will suffer together! Actually.. **Shoutout to anyone, anywhere who's doing exams!** If you reviewed, thank you, I love you! I have a little thank you bit on the review page.  _If anyone has any prank ideas, please tell me! I'm too stupid to think of any good ones! I will give you a nice cameo in the story if I use your idea! _I've got myDrama exam tomorrow, wish me luck! Byeee!


	3. To The Feast The Feast

**Authors Notes: …**as I sit here in Private study. I actually kinda like this new timetable! I get two hours a week to sit in a room and do nothing! Private Study rocks! Apparently you need it if you're fool enough to take five highers- but I have no homework to do and there's no way I'm going to study! Private study is actually made to sit and write stories as the teacher supervising us is a bit of a witch herself and wont let us talk. Hug to everyone who reviewed!

**Disclaimer:** you know I own nothing. _If you sue you get the following:_ £9.47, a few random rosettes from riding, a lot of scribbled notes from various stories and a pair of boots. Is it really worth it?

 Dedicated to **Miss2pouty**: who loves Sirius! You rock girl!

***~*Love/hate*~* **

Lily found no reason for her mood to improve as she started the journey from Hogsmede. As she got off the train she noticed _someone _had changed her hair green and (as a Slytherin pointed out in a none too polite way) her eyes red. In turning around to make some form of witty comeback to the Slytherin, she tripped and landed in a muddy puddle, only once a gain to be laughed at by the Slytherin girls and James Potter and his little _group_. 

In the horseless carriage on the way to school, she sat arms folded in a mood only talking to mutter a quick spell to reverse her hair and eye colour. When Lily was in a good mood- which was most of the time- she was sweet and witty, excellent company, but when she was in a bad mood (which luckily didn't happen very often) she was a hell-cat.

When the students reached the school they climbed out of the carriages and made their way inside to be welcomed by Peeves the poltergeist in a mood vindictive enough to beat to the floor any attempt Snape could make.

Students ducked and ran shrieking for cover as Peeves executed his usual welcome-back attack. It was nothing out of the ordinary really- the air was thick with flying water balloons, soaking sponges, Filch's cat….

"PEEVES!" Filch bellowed, face red with pulsating veins of anger as he ran out into the midst of the newly arrived students. The sight of filch bobbing up and down shaking his fist and threatening all sorts to the cackling ghost was enough to send most students into hysterics, but not even this comic interlude could improve Lily's mood- the cat had landed on her head. She fingered to claw marks on her scalp wondering it the day could get much worse as Filch stormed about after Peeves breathing deeply like a rabid rhino about to charge.

As she made her way into the great hall Lily felt a familiar surge of serenity. Looking up at the enchanted ceiling filled her with a sense of awe and sudden clarity. Against her will, she felt her sullenness ebb away and her spirits lift, as if she had left her troubles at the door. She brushed her dark red hair from her face and followed Alyson's retreating back to the long Gryffindor table and took a seat next to her friends.

Aylson, Tessa and Cara improved her rapidly lightening mood by keeping a witty running commentary of the students and how they had changed over the summer;

Look at Samantha Jordan- I swear she's grown a foot over the summer!" Cara hissed, motioning towards the stuck up Slytherin seventh year as the girl teetered towards the Slytherin table. 

"No- look at her feet!" Aylson laughed, eyes sparkling as they looked at her shoes as she took a seat.

"Her heels must be at least six inches!"

"_How can she walk?"_

"I don't think she can!" Laughed Lily, joining in with her friends as Samantha wobbled over onto Sevurus Snape's Lap. The Lily and her friends burst into laughter as Samantha scrambled up looking disgusted.

"Suddenly- I feel so much better!" Laughed Lily as they settled down to watch the sorting.

Lily found herself cheering with all of the other Gryffindors as the sorting passed. As she tucked into the much welcome feast, she looked around at her fellow students. Everyone looked happy, either glad to be back or glad to be there at all. Her eyes came to rest on James Potter as he and Sirius talked animatedly to a gaggle of new first years. _Probably telling them tales and scaring them lifeless _she thought to herself, but the first years looked quite content. A pang of guilt rushed through her. _I was too hard on him earlier. He was nothing but pleasant till I snapped at him. He was only rude because I was first_ She made up her mind to apologise the first chance she got.

Soon enough, the sorting was over and the prefects from each house were gathering the first year students. 

"Hey! Gryffindor first years over here!" Lily heard James shout and followed the group of little witches and wizards towards his voice.

"I'll take up the back" She said to him with a small smile, hoping he would return it, but no such luck.

"Whatever" He retorted coolly, and strode forward shouting "Gryffindor first years follow me!"

Lily trailed behind the group, talking to the final few new first years, tipping them on which stairs to avoid and which doors would not be any use to them. As they reached the common room she heard James ahead of her yell out the password to them ("chicken soup") and the group scrambled through the portrait hole.

Lily and James directed the boys and girls to their dormitories up the sweeping spiral staircase and settled them in. 

"Remember to be up in time for breakfast and keep get some sleep!" Lily called to the girls as she shut the door. _I must find James and apologise right now _she thought was she trudged down to the almost empty common room. _I can't stand this feeling of guilt!_  

She looked around the seemingly empty common room and called "James? You here?" No reply. Sighing, she made her way up to her dorm to be greeted by a very bouncy Aylson, and a very sleepy Cara and Tessa.

"Hey Lily! Have fun on prefect duty?" asked Aylson, bouncing on her bed in her pyjamas.

"Shut up Aylson!" Moaned Cara "I ate too much! I need sleep!" She punctuated her point by collapsing back on her bed.

"I second that" yawned Tessa, pulling her blonde tresses into a ponytail before her head gratefully hit the pillow. "G'night!" She mumbled

"Lazy.." Aylson muttered before turning her shining eyes on Lily "You're not tired are you?" she asked.

"Not really.." Lily was feeling oddly awake for that time of night. Hogwarts feasts tended to go on quite late. She was fairly sure her insomnia had something to do with her conscience.. 

"So you and James Potter are prefects together!" Aylson interrupted her train of thought, winking

"Yeah" Lily replied heavily "It would have been good, but he kind of hates me now. I snapped at him earlier."

"As in one of your bad mood snaps?"

"Yeah, one of my bad mood snaps" Lily's red head temper was quite bad sometimes. She knew this and accepted the fact- It sometimes felt good to let the inner bitch out.

"Did you apologise?"

"Never got the chance!" Lily sighed again

"Talk to him tomorrow. Everyone knows the prefects have to work together closely. It would be horrible to fight. Plus he's really hot and.."

"Aylson! That's so typical of y-" Lily shrieked

"KEEP IT DOWN!" came Cara's muffled voice from the depths of her pillow

"Sorry!" Aylson called back, stifling a yawn.

"So are you after James Potter this year then? I warn you now, he can give as good as he gets" Lily asked, thinking of the insults exchanged on the Hogwarts Express.

"No, I'm not after him.. I have my eye on someone else."

"Who!" Lily asked, wondering who had stolen the eye of on of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts

"You'll see, Lily dearest, you'll see."

"But-"

"Goodnight Lily" Lily sighed and pulled her pyjamas out of her trunk.

"Good night." She said softly, but Lily stayed awake for quite a while longer, thinking.

***~*Classic*~***

Lily bounded down the steps off the Hogwarts express with a smile on her face. 

"Watch it, Evans!" she heard a Slytherin girl just behind her say. Lily whipped around to make some form of witty comeback, but lost her balance and started to fall, only to be caught by James Potter.

"Woah there, Lily! I know you love me, but please try and contain yourself!" he said with a wink, letting her go from his arms where he had caught her. She laughed, mainly at the look on the Slytherin girl's face and replied

"Thanks James! See you in the hall!" before rushing after the retreating backs of Aylson, Cara and Tessa.

They talked animatedly all the way in about allsorts; boys, food, schoolwork, food..

"I can't wait to get to the feast! I'm starving!" Moaned Cara for the fifth time.

"Don't have to wait much longer, Caz, we're here!"

When the students reached the school they climbed out of the carriages and made their way inside to be welcomed by Peeves the poltergeist in a mood vindictive enough to beat to the floor any attempt Snape could make.

Students ducked and ran shrieking for cover as Peeves executed his usual welcome-back attack. It was nothing out of the ordinary really- the air was thick with flying water balloons, soaking sponges, Filch's cat….

"Aaargh!" Lily shrieked as she saw the cat with claws unsheathed come sailing at her head. She closed her eyes and braced herself for claws.. but instead found herself whisked away from the cat's landing path…

"PEEVES!" Filch bellowed, face red with pulsating veins of anger as he ran out into the midst of the newly arrived students. The sight of filch bobbing up and down shaking his fist and threatening all sorts to the cackling ghost was enough to send most students into hysterics, but  Lily was too busy staring up in shock at the face of James Potter, once again. 

"We seem to be doing this a lot today!" she joked as Filch stormed about after Peeves breathing deeply like a rabid rhino about to charge.

"Just drawn together I guess" he quipped back, not missing a beat

"Thanks James, you saved me from being dissected by a flying cat!"

"Any excuse to get you in my arms!" He once again up righted her and gave a salute before winking. She rolled her eyes, laughing and carried on inside.

As she made her way into the great hall Lily felt a familiar surge of serenity. Looking up at the enchanted ceiling filled her with a sense of awe and sudden clarity. The sight of the Enchanted ceiling and hall humming with gentle voices always made her feel like that. She brushed her dark red hair from her face and followed Alyson's retreating back to the long Gryffindor table and took a seat next to her friends.

Aylson, Tessa, Cara and Lily passed the time waiting for the sorting to begin keeping a witty running commentary of the students and how they had changed over the summer;

Look at Samantha Jordan- I swear she's grown a foot over the summer!" Cara hissed, motioning towards the stuck up Slytherin seventh year as the girl teetered towards the Slytherin table. 

"No- look at her feet!" Aylson laughed, eyes sparkling as they looked at her shoes as she took a seat.

"Her heels must be at least six inches!"

"_How can she walk?"_

"I don't think she can!" Laughed Lily, as Samantha wobbled over onto Sevurus Snape's Lap. The Lily and her friends burst into laughter as Samantha scrambled up looking disgusted.

"Ah- the joys of a Slytherin embarrassing themselves!" laughed Lily as they settled down to watch the sorting.

Lily cheered with all of the other Gryffindors as the sorting passed. As she tucked into the much welcome feast, she looked around at her fellow students. Everyone looked happy, either glad to be back or glad to be there at all. Her eyes came to rest on James Potter as he and Sirius talked animatedly to a gaggle of new first years. _Probably telling them tales and scaring them lifeless _she thought to herself, smiling.

"Oi! James! Stop scaring them senseless on their first night!" She called across, laughing.

"Would I?" he feigned innocence as Sirius' eyes travelled past Lily onto a certain girl called Aylson.

Soon enough, the sorting was over and the prefects from each house were gathering the first year students. 

"Hey! Gryffindor first years over here!" Lily heard James shout and followed the group of little witches and wizards towards his voice.

"I'll take up the back" She said to him with a smile 

"Whatever" he nodded before calling "Gryffindor first years follow me as Lily is scared she'll get lost too!"

Lily punched him in the arm and smiled sweetly at the first years.

Lily hurried along the rear of the group, talking to some of the first years, tipping them on which stairs to avoid and which doors would not be any use to them. As they reached the common room she heard James ahead of her yell out the password to them ("chicken soup") and the group scrambled through the portrait hole.

Lily and James directed the boys and girls to their dormitories up the sweeping spiral staircase and settled them in. 

"Remember to be up in time for breakfast and keep get some sleep!" Lily called to the girls as she shut the door. Smiling to herself, she made her way up to her dorm to be greeted by a very bouncy Aylson, and a very sleepy Cara and Tessa.

"Hey Lily! Have fun on prefect duty?" asked Aylson, bouncing on her bed in her pyjamas.

"Shut up Aylson!" Cara moaned, "I ate too much! I need sleep!" She punctuated her point by collapsing back on her bed.

"I second that" yawned Tessa, pulling her blonde tresses into a ponytail before her head gratefully hit the pillow. "G'night!" She mumbled

"Lazy.." Aylson muttered before turning her shining eyes on Lily "You're not tired are you?" she asked.

"Not really.." Lily was feeling oddly awake for that time of night. Hogwarts feasts tended to go on quite late. She was fairly sure her insomnia had something to do with excitement.

"So you and James Potter are prefects together!" Aylson interrupted her train of thought, winking

"Yeah" Lily replied lightly "He's good fun"

"As in you like him?"

"No, as in I think he's good fun!" she replied, not quite looking Aylson in the eye

"Come on Lily! Do you like him?"

"I've barely spoken to him apart from today!" Lily laughed lightly, green eyes staring into space.

"Talk to him tomorrow. Everyone knows the prefects have to work together closely.. He's really hot and.."

"Aylson! That's so typical of y-" Lily laughed in mock-outrage

"KEEP IT DOWN!" came Cara's muffled voice from the depths of her pillow

"Sorry!" Aylson called back, stifling a yawn.

"So are you after James Potter this year then? I warn you now, he can give as good as he gets" Lily said, thinking of James' reputation with the ladies, not to mention Aylson's own reputation.

"No, I'm not after him.. I have my eye on someone else."

"Who!" Lily asked, wondering who had stolen the eye of on of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts

"You'll see, Lily dearest, you'll see."

"But-"

"Goodnight Lily" Lily sighed and pulled her pyjamas out of her trunk.

"Good night." She said softly, but Lily stayed awake for quite a while longer, thinking.


End file.
